


The Ultimatum

by MerlinWinchestr



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-04 00:17:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13352502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerlinWinchestr/pseuds/MerlinWinchestr
Summary: Exactly how he wound up in the United States is a long-convoluted story involving a curious white envelope and some angry French policemen that really does not matter in light of his current situation.  Specifically, the fact that he was currently handcuffed to a table in a windowless room in the middle of…well, that he wasn’t entirely sure where exactly he was.





	The Ultimatum

**Author's Note:**

> Setting: Pre-series, 2004 specifically.   
> Characters/Pairings: Ezekiel Jones  
> Rating/Warnings: K+  
> Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don’t own it.
> 
> Author’s Note: I wish the show would dig into Ezekiel’s backstory a little more, specifically his time working for the government. But since the show doesn’t talk about it, that leaves the door wide open for fanfiction. So here is my take on how Ezekiel came to work for MI6. (Also, I hope I got the math right. Canonically, Ezekiel was 16 when he received an invitation from the Library in 2004 and so I believe that would make him be born in 1988. But I am horrible at math, so if that’s wrong please feel free to correct me.) Until then, I hope you enjoy!

# The Ultimatum

Exactly how he wound up in the United States is a long-convoluted story involving a curious white envelope and some angry French policemen that really does not matter in light of his current situation. Specifically, the fact that he was currently handcuffed to a table in a windowless room in the middle of…well, that he wasn’t entirely sure where exactly he was. He had landed in New York at 8:40 AM, but he had barely made it off the tarmac when four men in black had cut him off and marched him out to the black government vehicle. 

From there Ezekiel had simply fallen asleep. He knew he should be concerned, especially when he was taken from the car and into the previously mentioned windowless room. But he’d stayed up late the night before on a job and the jet lag didn’t help. So he could be excused for sleeping when he had no evident escape route. 

He had an escape route, of course. Ezekiel Jones always had an escape route, even when he’s been kidnapped—well, technically arrested—and taken to an unknown place, he always had an escape route. In his current situation he actually had two escape routes, but he would prefer a third option that did not require him risking life and limb. For the time being he would be patient and see if a better option came about. 

Then again, patience never had been his strong suit. 

“This gonna take long, mates? I did have plans for the day, you know.” 

He was met with silence, just as he had expected to be. Ezekiel sighed. Well, this put a damper on his plans. He had had a nice hotel reserved with a rooftop pool. He’d never stayed in a hotel with a rooftop pool before and had actually been looking forward to it. This would teach him to plan ahead. Sighing once more, he wiggled in the chair to get as comfortable as possible and settled down for a second nap. 

No sooner had his eyes closed then the door open with a clang as the metal hit the wall. 

“Can’t a guy get some rest around here?” Ezekiel kept his eyes shut, but he listened closely. Two men, both far larger then him.

“Rest is for the dead.” A man grunted. 

Ezekiel opened his eyes and saw that he was correct, two men had entered the room. One was posted at the door with biceps the size of Ezekiel’s head. The guard stood with arms crossed and sunglasses on regardless of the dimly lit room. The other man stood behind the chair the opposite of him and despite the fact that this man was physically smaller then the guard, Ezekiel knew that this was the one he would want to watch closely. 

“Pretty sure the dead don’t need to rest, mate.” Ezekiel joked, hiding his nervousness. 

The man in front of him just smirked and simply sat down, placing a plain vanilla file between them. Ezekiel schooled his face, refusing to let the government man see how uneasy he actually was. He forced a smirk of his own and leaned back as much as the handcuffs allowed. The government man ignored his comment and opened the file.

“Ezekiel Jones,” he read, his accent British and not American like Ezekiel had expected. “Born 1988 in Sydney, Australia. Parent’s unknown. Ran away from the foster system at age five.” 

“Stalker much?” Ezekiel interrupted, struggling to keep his tone light. 

The government man ignored him and continued down the file. 

“Lived on the streets for one year before being taken in by Lenore Jones, petty thief and adopted mother of three girls, all older then yourself.” 

Ezekiel paled, swallowing nervously and trying to hide the panic that was slowly overtaking him. No one knew about his adopted mother, no one. If there was one thing Ezekiel was good at, it was keeping a secret. And his family was his most closely guarded secret. 

“Raised in a family of petty thieves and yet you, Ezekiel Jones, are anything but petty.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ezekiel denied, his voice unsteady. “Who are you guys?” 

The government man simply closed the file and leaned back, crossing his arms across his chest. Ezekiel shuffled slightly, uneasy under the man’s gaze. For a moment, the room was silent. Somehow, the silence was worse than having his entire life out on display. He opened his mouth to speak, but the government man beat him to it. 

“Now, now, Ezekiel Jones. They told us you were smart. Surely you know who we are by now.” 

Ezekiel bit his lip uncertainly. There were two options he could take: play dumb and try to bluff his way out of this or reveal himself. He was silent for a moment, contemplating the risks and consequences of his options. When he did speak, it was hesitantly, unsure if he was choosing the right option. 

“Interpol, possibly MI6. Certainly not the FBI or CIA despite the jackets and the way you kidnapped me at the airport.” 

“Very good, Mr. Jones.” The government man nodded in approval. “Agent Marcus Kincaid, MI6. That gentleman there is Agent Phillip Mansfield. And we have a proposal for you, Mr. Jones.” 

“A proposal?” Ezekiel repeated. “I think I’m a little young to be getting married, mate.” 

“Well, it’s rather more of an ultimatum then a proposal.” Kincaid paused to make sure he had Ezekiel’s full attention before speaking. “We want you to join MI6 as a field operative.”

Ezekiel was to shocked to try and hide his reaction. He simply stared, mouth slightly open, as he repeated the words. 

“You want me to join MI6? Me?”

“You have certain skills that would be very useful.” Kincaid paused, studying Ezekiel closely. “Surely you realized that becoming one of the greatest thieves in the world would have organizations wanting to employ your skills.” 

Ezekiel shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. Sure, he was a good thief. Heck, he was a better thief then most people he knew. But one of the greatest thieves in the world? The man was mental. Completely mental. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Agent.” He scoffed. “And even if I did, I have no desire to be employed. I much prefer being my own boss.” 

“And now we reach the ultimatum part of our proposal.” Kincaid said as if he had been expecting Ezekiel’s response. 

“And what would that be?” Ezekiel snapped, growing tired of the run-around. “You’ll throw me in jail if I don’t join you? Or maybe you’ll just kill me.” 

“Nothing as detrimental to your health as that, Mr. Jones.” Kincaid chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “We’ll simply drop a line to our Australian cohorts about a family of thieves living just outside of Sydney. Your mother and sisters might simply be petty thieves, but they are thieves. Tell me, Mr. Jones, how do you think your family will fair in prison?” 

Ezekiel froze, head shaking slightly in denial of what he was hearing. 

“You wouldn’t.” he said coldly. 

“Oh?” Kincaid smirked, his voice smug. “And how do you know what I would and wouldn’t do?” 

Ezekiel couldn’t meet the man’s eyes. He bowed his head, mouth suddenly dry. He could withstand prison, he could even face his own death. But his mother and sisters? He couldn’t sentence them to prison. And these men knew that. Ezekiel’s shoulders drooped. For the first time in his life, he didn’t have an escape route. Kincaid saw the defeat in the thief’s posture and knew he had won. He reached forward and flipped through the file for a moment before removing a single piece of paper. He slid the paper across to Ezekiel, followed by a pen.

“Just sign on the dotted line and your family remains where they are. Completely untouched.” 

Ezekiel picked up the pen, the handcuffs clinking and making moving difficult. He tried to hide how his hands shook, but the smirk on Kincaid’s face made it clear that they knew how shaken he was. He paused above the dotted line and looked up. 

“You guys do know I’m only sixteen, right? Legally, I’m still a minor and can’t sign anything without my guardian’s permission.” 

“And I’m sure that an accomplished thief such as yourself can handle a little forgery.” Kincaid motioned. “Go ahead, Mr. Jones. Once the paperwork is out of the way, you have training to get too.” 

Ezekiel’s shoulders drooped, and he signed his name as well that of his mother on the guardian line. The second the signatures were given, the paper was whisked away and placed back into the file as the agent got to his feet. Ezekiel dropped the pen and looked up to meet Kincaid’s eyes. When he spoke, his voice was empty. 

“What now?” 

“Now, we get you out of those handcuffs and to your new residence.” Kincaid smirked triumphantly. 

He reached into his pocket to retrieve the key, but Ezekiel simply shook his hands. The cuffs fell off, eliciting a brief look of surprise from Kincaid. Just as quickly as it came, the agent’s face was smooth and expressionless once again. Ezekiel got to his feet, doing his best to appear unshaken and uncaring. But the agent’s saw through him. Mansfield opened the door and, after a none-to-gentle prodding from Kincaid, Ezekiel followed the large guard out of the interrogation room and down a series of hallways. They passed several people along the way, all dressed in the same uniform of khaki pants and dark blue polo shirts with a symbol on the right breast that Ezekiel didn’t bother to pay attention to. 

He barely paid attention to anything he passed by, and he steadfastly ignored the curious looks he was receiving. He bit his lip, trying to control his emotions. They passed by windows and he could see out to freedom, even if that freedom was miles of private forest. He had never considered how quickly his freedom could be taken away. Oh, he knew he would be caught sometime, but he never thought that he would be blackmailed into working for a government organization doing…what? In his fear for his mother and sisters, he hadn’t even asked what was going to happen to him. Well, he decided, he would find out soon enough. 

“This will be your room.” Kincaid interrupted his thinking, his voice far to cheerful for the occasion. “We took the liberty to have your bags brought here. You will find them just as you packed them, sans the illegal items.” 

Kincaid swung the door open to his new room—to his new life—and stepped back. Hesitantly, Ezekiel entered the completely impersonal room. A simple cot for a bed with his old black backpack on it, a single brown dresser for his clothes, and a door that most likely led to an equally plain bathroom. Far different from the hotel with the rooftop pool he had been planning to stay at. He turned back to face the two agents who had brought him here. Kincaid was grinning while Mansfield stood there completely emotionless. Kincaid went to shut the door, but not before calling out one last taunt: 

“Welcome to MI6, Mr. Jones.”


End file.
